Mother Teresa’s Fragrance Prayer

I have been taking the children to Catechesis of the Good Shepherd apostolate of the Missionaries of Charity here in Baton Rouge. While the children are in the atrium for their class, Gianna and I spend time in the sisters’ little chapel, and we visit with the other waiting parents and any sisters taking a short break from their evening chores. We also usually play long games of Chase-the-Eighteen-Month-Old up and down the long main hallway, with the sisters in the kitchen occasionally peeking out to coo and giggle at my admittedly adorable offspring.

Not surprisingly, these last few months I have subconsciously been recalling what I know of Blessed Mother Teresa’s spirituality and that of her order. One of my favorite things from her, which I first heard in high school, is her Fragrance Prayer:

Dear Jesus, help me to spread Your fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Your spirit and life. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly, That my life may only be a radiance of Yours. Shine through me, and be so in me That every soul I come in contact with May feel Your presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me, but only Jesus! Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as You shine, So to shine as to be a light to others; The light, O Jesus will be all from You; none of it will be mine; It will be you, shining on others through me. Let me thus praise You the way You love best, by shining on those around me. Let me preach You without preaching, not by words but by my example, By the catching force of the sympathetic influence of what I do, The evident fullness of the love my heart bears to You.

The spirituality of Mother Teresa is so evident in every Missionary of Charity I have met. They all have big smiles, genuine concern for others, incredible work ethic, and just a beaming kind of beauty that is hard to describe. I gravitate toward that in others, and I really seek this kind of living in my own spirituality.

If we are actually and truly growing in our faith, then we can’t help but give testimony to the Holy Spirit’s work in us with our warmth, our affection, our enthusiasm, and our thoughtfulness. What is more, it seems to me that the evidence of God’s work in our hearts will always show in our attitudes towards our duties, towards our crosses, and towards those around us.

Comments

Hi,
I just happened upon the following in the July/August 2019 issue of “The Catholic Spirit”:

Article by Shelley Metcalf
“Pope Francis has announced he will declare Blessed John Henry Newman a saint October 13. Newman was a British theologian and poet. He was first ordained an Anglican priest in 1825, but converted to Catholicism and then became a priest in 1846. Pope Leo Xll made him a cardinal in 1879.

I first learned about Blessed Newman several years ago when I heard Tom Booth sing the “Fragrance Prayer.” I loved it so much that I researched all about it as it turns out the Fragrance Prayer was is one of Saint Theresa of Calcutta’s (Mother Theresa) favorite prayers, and it is attributed to Blessed John Henry Newman.”

My husband also pointed out to me that the church we used to attend, had a Newman’s Club.

In any case, it’s a great prayer to keep in our hearts and minds, as a reminder of how we should navigate through our lives with others.

Hi, Erin ~ I’ve been doing some research on Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman, and ran across it on your site as well as various other places. FYI, the Fragrance Prayer referred to in your post, “Mother Teresa’s Fragrance Prayer”, is actually reported to have been written by Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman, according to my research. Mother Teresa ‘adopted’ it, but it is not originally hers. I thought you’d want to know.
God bless you and your ministry!

Thank you! You are not the first person who has asked me about that. I remember in high school we would sing the Fragrance Prayer at school Masses, and they said it was her prayer, so I never questioned it. I may go tweak that old post of mine now, though.

Hi there!

I'm Erin, a joyful Catholic wife and homeschooling mother of five. And, why yes, I do have my hands full! I've been sharing my heart on marriage, motherhood, and the life of faith since 2009. Read More…

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